If you have a company or work for a company that you think could benefit from some strategic talent management then you have come to the right place. Here you will learn the steps necessary to carry out successful talent management.

Define what you mean by "talent"

This may sound fairly obvious, but when the definitions are not clearly defined it can be very difficult to carry out talent management. The senior managers, board members and all those involved in this process need to be singing from the same song sheet, so there must be clarity as to what pertains to "talent" in the organization. It is also important to be clear on whether talent refers to just the senior positions in the company, or talent refers to all levels in the workforce. In other words can there be "talent" identified at all levels in the organization? It is also vital that you define what the positions or roles are in the company that require specific talent and skills. Once you have outlined what particular skills are need for what particular roles, scouting out and managing talent is easier.

Explain it to your workforce

The organizations that have the most successful talent management are those that are upfront with their workforce. They need to understand what is involved in the process and what it could mean for them. Your employees are not just a resource to be utilized as you wish; they are human beings and as such need to be treated that way. Your staff should be clear about what is required of them and what their potential is. Helping them see and understand possible career paths will ensure they are happier, more productive and more motivated.

Discuss career aspirations

If you don't know what the career aspirations of your employees are then talent management becomes much more difficult. It is important that you find out what motivates them or inspires them on an individual basis so planning career development paths for each and every one of them is easier and likely to be more successful. The CEO of a company may have spotted a mid-level manager as a potential new CEO for the future. Without knowing anything about their own aspirations however, they could be lining up someone who is far from interested in that position. This is quite an extreme example, but it does illustrate the point.

Start examining performance

Once you have set out your guidelines as to what pertains to talent, and after you have talked with the staff explaining the process and asking them for openness with regard to their own career aspirations, you can begin to look at where certain employees could fit in the future of the organization. Assessments and performance ratings could be given to determine who goes where. Leadership qualities should be sought out and employees with talent identified.

Create ongoing development plans

Because you want the very best in your business, once you have identified key players and highlighted who will be going where, you will need to start developing their skills. This should be done with training programs, skill development sessions and more. The future leaders of the company should have their innate leadership qualities nurtured so that when the time comes for promotions the employees are ready for the challenges ahead.

Talent management is a very important part of an organization if you want to be successful. There is HR software available that can help with the process and choosing RPO (recruitment process outsourcing) can help a great deal too as this ensures only the very best are recruited in the first place.